Posts from Dining Room

I can totally empathize with Katie's dilemma: you need a home office, but the only viable space is the dining room (in my case I had to convert a closet into a home office, while my better half converted the dining room table into her desk). But Katie didn't just decide to work in her formal dining room, but fully convert it into a home office with enviable personality reflecting her love of color and her family...

Quality loose leaf tea is the foundation of a delicious pot of tea, but the pot has a lot to do with it too. To begin, no plastic parts should be involved in the actual brewing compartment - heat and plastic shouldn't mix in the interest of both flavor and durability. Plastic lids or handles are okay.

At first quick glance, it's all neutrals, classic choices and even a piece of oh-so-trendy typography. But spend more than a minute in the home of textile designer Lori Weitzner, her husband and two not-quite-teen daughters, and the fabrics and stories unfold, the plot thickens, and opposites definitely attract. And smack dab in the middle sits a most happy home for four.

Laura spent seven years using this room, with its high ceilings and statement fireplace, as a family room. But considering its pass-through and access to the kitchen, she found a new purpose for the space that felt more natural.

Caroline and Jose embody the true spirit of creativity. They spent their first date drawing furniture design ideas on the back of their dinner napkins — after realizing they both shared the same dream of wanting to make things for a living. Years later, Caroline and Jose are still creating, most recently building two incredible outdoor studio spaces for themselves and by themselves. Come take a look inside a home and workspace built by heart and hand.

Interior designer Lauren Liess had clients with a brand-new dining room looking for a stylish and personal upgrade. The family had a bold, cheerful style (and some budding Picassos!), so she came up with the perfect solution: a kids' art wall!

On the floorplan, it's listed as "Auxiliary Room," a vague definition that falls far short of inspiration. What to do with this space, with no windows, no definition, and to be honest, no saving grace? Not to worry. Enter gentleman designer Matthew Patrick Smyth, who manages to turn slightly vague into totally specific. Through the lens of the talented Mr. Smyth, it's part Kasbah but pure Kismet. And it stole the show at Hearst's Designer Visions.

Ama found this shelving system at a garage sale for $50. It took her a year to figure out where this wood-veneer credenza would fit in her home. See where it ended up after a beautiful budget transformation: